Deposit-control fuel additives effectively control deposits in engine intake systems (carburetors, valves, fuel injectors, etc.). A major deposit-control fuel additive used in gasoline today is made by the chlorination of polybutene to produce an intermediate followed by the reaction of this intermediate with an amine compound to produce a polybutene amine. These polybutene amines typically contain from about 0.5 to about 1.0 percent residual chlorine, and seldom less than 0.25 percent chlorine. With today's concerns regarding halogen compounds, it is desirable to reduce or eliminate chlorine from fuel additives.
The present invention relates to halogen-free hydroxypolyalkene amine fuel additives. This fuel additive is produced through the epoxidation of a polyalkene followed by the reaction of the epoxypolyalkene with an amine to produce a hydroxypolyalkene amine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,215 to Lewis relates to hydrocarbyl carbonates and their fuel compositions which are deposit-control additives in gasoline compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,794,586 to Kimura et al. relates to a lubricating oil composition containing a hydroxyalkyl-substituted polyolefin prepared by reacting a polyalkene epoxide with a polyamine at a temperature of from 15 to 180.degree. C.
European Patent Application No. 384,086 to Blackborrow et al. relates to a process for producing long chain alkyl amines from polyolefins by reacting (a) a polyolefin having a molecular weight in the range of 330-2000 with ozone in the presence of a solvent, (b) reacting the ozonolysis product from (a) without separation and/or isolation of the carbonyl compounds formed therein with a primary hydrocarbyl amines to form an imine, (c) hydrogenating the imine from step (b) to give an amine in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst, and (d) recovering the long chain alkyl amine from the hydrogenation products formed in step (c).
European Patent Application No. 385,039 to Blackborrow relates to a process for producing active carbonyl compounds predominating in aldehyde groups from polybutene having at least 50 percent of the unsaturation in the terminal position. The process has an initial epoxidation of the polybutene followed by isomerization of the epoxide so formed at a relatively higher temperature. The active nature of the carbonyl group enables these compounds to be converted to the corresponding amines or imines which can be used as fuel and lube oil additives.